Member Rating

1st Cruise aand moe than possible our last cruise

Sail Date:
October 2011

Destination:
Europe - Western Mediterranean

Embarkation:
Las Palmas

I was really disappointed in this 1st Experience of a cruise. We traveled in a group of 51. Had we been on our own I would have got off before we sailed and paid for a flight home. Fortunately being in a group made the trip OK. The cabin we had was very basic, which did not worry me too much but was quite big in comparison to some other members of our group.
One of my biggest moans is the way Thompson's rip you off There is a safe in your cabin but to use it for the week costs 15. The trip was supposed to be fully inclusive, THAT'S A LIE. If you want a bottle of water you hve to pay for it if you want an Ice Cream you have to pay for it, If you want a cake with a tea or coffee you have to pay for it, if you want meal with waiter service you have to pay for it. I thought it was FULLY Inclusive. Mind you it would be possible to drink yourself absolutely paralytic at no cost, but a bottle of water would cost you 1-50 approx wheres the logic?
We had an absolutely Brilliant More
cabin Boy in William he was marvellous. Over all the staff were really great Yun Yun in the beachcomber at around 11-00pm was really great fun serenading all with his guitar, I wish I could sing in his language as well as he sang in English. Mary on the pool deck also deserves a special mention as she was such a good waitress, she put the waiters to shame
Generally the food was good. we ate breakfast and lunch in the Beachcomber then dressed up a tad to go into the Island Dining Room for the evening meal before going down to watch the evening entertainment. far too short really, But mainly very good.
There were not enough sun beds, and or table and chairs on the pool deck, and then you had the greedy ones who grabbed a sun bed in the morning left the boat went out for the morning then came back to a sun bed that had not been used for 5 hours. I think that the rule should be if you leave the bed for over 1 hour you lose it. I do not sun bathe. There were also others that had 2 sun beds 1 in the sun 1 in the shade and a table and chairs just plain greedy. The other decks that could have had tables and or sun beds had nothing pretty poor really.
We did splash out and go to "Oasis" even though it really went against the grain. I have to say that considering we paid out about 34 for 2 of us on a fully inclusive trip, the food was not that good, I'd have done just as well eating in the Island Restaurant.
We spoke to a few people who have used Thompson's for other cruises and we were told that had we gone on any of the Thompson ships we would have felt differently. But apparently the Island Escape came with their take over of First Choice. My only other real gripe would be that there was not a small chapel on the ship. Am I the only christian ever to have sailed on this ship? Less